Surrender
by KSUnsungHero
Summary: I keep thinking it should have been me. I couldn’t have done that…given myself up for someone else.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I will update my other stories, I promise. I am working on all of them. I had an idea that I had to go with. Bear with me and my muse.

He watched from afar, ducking behind a dumpster. He waited for the opportune moment. He calmed his breathing and stilled his shaking hands. He wiped his sweaty palms on his sweats and pulled the knife from the waistband of his pants. Slowly, he emerged from the alley. He approached the two women who were oblivious to being followed. One threw her head back and laughed while the other rested a hand on her forearm. In a matter of seconds, their laughter would transform into screams of pain. They deserved to suffer for the filthy lives they led. He lengthened his stride, reaching them quickly. He gripped the handle tighter and grabbed one from behind. He held the blade to her neck and wrenched her arm behind her, effectively removing any chance of fighting back. He watched her companion grow still as the gravity of the situation hit her. She wouldn't leave her lover; he knew that. He jerked his head toward the alley and retreated into the darkness. Lit only by the dim street light above the dumpster, it was the perfect spot.

"Look, you don't want to do this. Let her go. Take me instead, okay?" She held her hands up in surrender, trying to diffuse the situation.

"You're going to be a problem, aren't you?" He stole a glance at the woman and her companion.

"Just relax. Here." She held her hand out and stepped forward slowly. Before she could brace herself, she was pulled forward and into the arms of the man. She was spun around and her arm was held in place behind her back.

"It's your lucky day. Get on the ground. Lie down on your stomach and put your hands behind your head. If you move, I'll break her arm." He pulled the woman's arm up tighter. He could feel the muscles straining against the awkward movement of the limb.

"Please don't hurt her. I've got some money in my account. You can take it all, just please don't hurt her." She did as she was told, all the while pleading for their safety.

"Shut up. I don't want your money. I want you and your kind to learn a lesson. Spread the word, because I'm only going to tell you once. You're polluting our society, littering our streets with your filthy lifestyle. I saw you and your little friend getting touchy-feely. Dirty vermin. That's what you are, all of you." He moved slightly, making the blade dig into the woman's skin. She hissed as a small trail of blood began to trail down her neck.

"Pl…please don't do this." She rolled onto her side and clamped her eyes shut at the sight of her friend being hurt.

"I said shut the hell up. Open your eyes. I want you to see this." He felt his charge start to squirm and yanked her arm once again. He heard the pop and had to hold her up when her legs gave out. He shifted his hand to partially cover her mouth.

"Stop it, you sick bastard! Help! Somebody help us!" She cried out to anyone that would help her. Tears ran down her face as she stared at her injured friend.

"Damnit, lady!" He shoved the wounded woman to the ground and gave her a swift kick to the side. He repeated the motion a few more times before leaning down to whisper into her ear. She nodded and let out a sob. He gave her one last kick, a well placed blow to her injured arm and took off. He hadn't reached the street when he heard her scream out in pain.

"Oh, god." She pulled out her cell phone and dialed as her heart beat rapidly in her chest. She rattled off her location and hung up.

"Ar…are you…okay?" She gasped, unable to get enough air into her starved lungs. A shooting pain coursed through her chest and she dug her fingers into the concrete.

"I can't believe you're asking me that." She kneeled down on the ground and touched her lightly on the arm. The muscles beneath her fingers tensed and she heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Don't touch me!" She whimpered and bit her bottom lip as to not cry out.

"Oh Go…I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She sat down on the ground as close as she could get, hoping to provide the comfort that she could not physically give.

"It…it's okay. Bus gonna' be here soon?" She clenched her hand, wishing she had something to hold onto to help ride out the excruciating waves of pain.

"Pretty soon, sweetie. Why'd you do it? Why?" She sniffed and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her jacket.

"I th…thought I could reason with him. I…I thought you could get away." Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult and she tried to take her mind off of her current situation.

"I wasn't going to leave you there. Just take it easy. I'll chew your ass out later, you stubborn woman." She let out a nervous chuckle, hoping to ease her friend's pain.

"'Kay." She nodded and tried to remain as still as possible.

"I think I hear them coming. I'll be right back." She picked up her phone from the ground and scanned her phone book until she found the right number. She walked out onto the sidewalk and searched for the source of the sirens. Suddenly, she realized where they'd been walking when they were attacked. She saw the flashing lights dance off the glass windows as the ambulance raced down the street. Holding up a hand, she walked to the curb and flagged it down. It pulled to a stop and the driver and passenger immediately got out.

"Ma'am, did you report an assault?" The paramedic saw the woman nod and grabbed his gear as his partner came around the front of the ambulance. They followed her into the alley and began working.

"Her shoulder is dislocated. She has some trouble breathing. She was kicked in the side. She has a cut on her neck, too." She stood back as the men did their jobs. They held the injured arm and lifted up the dirt-covered shirt on one side before letting it fall back into place.

"Can you tell me your friend's name?" The young paramedic hadn't received a response from the injured woman. She was shocky and in pain, making it difficult for her to speak. With the help of his partner, he held onto her arm and helped her to stand so they could walk her to the ambulance.

"Uh…Oli…Olivia." She followed the paramedics as they opened one of the back doors. She waited anxiously while the younger paramedic stepped into the back and got in position to help his patient. It seemed like several moments passed by as they gently eased her friend up the step.

"We'll take good care of your…of…" The older man glanced from the building to the woman standing before him.

"Friend. We work together, sort of. I…we were coming back from a movie and this guy came out of nowhere. He…I thought he was going to kill her." She began sobbing once again as the image of her friend flashed through her mind.

"She's been through the wringer but she's strong and healthy. I can see that just from the preliminary examination we did on her. She's in a lot of pain so I don't want to aggravate her injuries by taping her arm. Why don't you ride along and help keep her calm?" The man saw her nod and held out his hand to help her up the step. He shut the door behind her and jogged to the driver's side door. He got in and flipped on the siren before pulling out into the street. He gazed in his rearview mirror and shook his head. He'd seen his share of hate crimes in the past. Didn't matter to him what people did with their lives. He had a feeling that the two women in the back of his ambulance had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Frowning, he turned his attention to the road ahead and sped down the street.

ooo

"Casey!" Elliot ran up to her as she walked through the emergency room doors. He grew concerned when she immediately melted into his arms.

"I tried to stop it. He…he grabbed me. I didn't have time to react. I was scared to death and she…she just let him have her." Casey's mind raced as she struggled to piece together the night's events.

"What happened?" Elliot went to the window and grabbed a clipboard before leading her to a chair in the corner of the waiting room.

"We went for a girl's night out. She said she'd been really stressed lately and I thought we could both use a night out. We went to a late show and we were walking past this bar and a guy came up behind me and grabbed me. He had a knife and he…he…we went into this alley." Casey took a deep breath and sat on her shaking hands to still them.

"Jesus…di…are you hurt?" Elliot set the clipboard down and studied the woman before him, searching for signs that she'd been injured as well.

"N…no, that's just it. She…she told him to take her instead. She just…and I thought he was going to kill her, kept spouting off all this stuff and he I couldn't watch after he cut her. I pissed him off and she tried to get away and he pulled her by her arm. She was in so much pain and I yelled at him to stop. I tried to get help and he shoved her down and started kicking her. He got scared and left. I…I can't believe this is happening. I mean…we see this kind of thing every day. It just…it's so real this time." Casey wrapped brought up her knees to her chest and rested her head on them.

"Son of a bitch. What did the guy say?" Elliot scooted his chair so that it touched hers. He leaned in so that they were nearly touching heads.

"He just kept saying how we were dirty and he went on about how he should teach us a lesson and made some reference to our lifestyle or something. I…I didn't realize it until later. I didn't really understand what he was talking about until I realized where we were. Elliot, this guy severely dislikes homosexuals. He thought we were together." Casey grew sickened with the thought of him roaming the streets, attacking unsuspecting people.

"We need to call Captain. Was there a unit there? Did you give a statement?" Elliot sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly he felt exhausted after hearing what had happened.

"Damn. I didn't even think. I…I don't know. I…there should have been. It was called Splash. On West 17th'." Casey frowned as she tried to remember. She'd only heard one distinct siren of an ambulance. No one else had responded.

"Yeah, there should have been. I'll call Cragen. Will you be okay? Can you fill this out?" Elliot handed her the clipboard and walked out of the waiting room. He pulled the phone from his jacket pocket and fought for control over his emotions.

"Cragen." Don held the phone to his ear as he signed the numerous forms before him.

"Captain, we have a situation. Olivia and Casey were attacked. Olivia's pretty banged up but Casey is fine. She's shaken up but she was able to give me a statement. I'm outside the E.R. now. I need a squad sent and I want to know why no one showed up when Casey called it in." Elliot gave Cragen the location and leaned back against the wall.

"So this is a hate crime. I'll find out who responded to the call. I want an update from you later." Cragen jotted down the name of the club and set his pen down.

"Got it." Elliot hung up and went back into the waiting room. He noticed Casey hadn't gotten any farther than the name and address. Carefully, he pried the clipboard out of her hands and quickly filled out the rest before motioning for her to follow him. He handed the clipboard to the nurse and pulled out his badge.

"Wh…where are we going?" Casey followed him mutely down the corridor.

"Radiology." Elliot navigated the hallways until he found what he was looking for.

"Detective Stabler, Special Victims. Can you tell me where an Olivia Benson is?" The nurse at the window smiled and typed the information into her computer.

"Looks like you're at the right place. She'll be out shortly, Detectives. The double doors on your right will take you to the waiting room. I'll have someone come and get you when she's been checked into her room." The nurse eyed the two before her. The woman looked frightened. Whatever had happened had shaken her.

"Thank you, that'd be great." Elliot let Casey take the lead. He wanted to keep an eye on her. She was too quiet for his liking.

"I…I'm sorry. I keep thinking it should have been me. I couldn't have done that…given myself up for someone else. She's my friend. I don't know if I could do that. Even for her." Casey slowed her steps until they were side-by-side.

"It wasn't your fault. You know Olivia, Casey. And I've seen you before. I wouldn't want to cross you." Elliot grinned when she rolled her eyes.

"Let's go wait some more. I love waiting rooms." Casey sat next to Elliot on the small couch and tapped her foot nervously.

"What movie did you see? What was it about?" Elliot saw the worry lines on her face ease a little as she gave him a run-down on all of the good parts. It was the distraction she needed to take her mind off of what had happened. If only he could concentrate on what she was saying.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Forgive me if I drop off the face of the planet again. I've got a couple online classes I'm working through and I signed up for a class this weekend. This whole 'finishing up college" thing is stressing me out! I'll update "Games" sometime in the near future. FYI. Maybe finish that one off. Not sure, yet.

Elliot and Casey stood the moment the doctor walked toward them. They'd been waiting over an hour and were getting restless.

"Sorry about the wait, folks. I'm Doctor Moriarty. Nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out and motioned for the two anxious people to follow him.

"How's she doing?" Elliot glanced behind him to make sure Casey was following. She quickened her pace so she could hear.

"She's resting. She was in quite a bit of pain, but we administered some pain killers before we sent her to radiology. We sent her for a couple reasons. Over the examination, her breath sounds were decreasing to the point where we needed to put her on oxygen. She does have a couple broken ribs but they were lower down. I don't know if you've heard of floating ribs. They're far enough down to where there isn't a risk of internal injury. Due to the amount of pain she was in, she was having a hard time catching her breath. Unfortunately there is very little we can do to treat fractured ribs. She also had a dislocated shoulder. We were able to set it and the X-Ray's show no permanent damage to the surrounding tissue. There is a lot of swelling, but that is normal for this type of injury. Now, the lesser injury, if you will. She did sustain a cut on her neck that we stitched up on the inside as well as the outside. Although the location may scare you, I can assure you everything's fine. Overall, she's going to be one very sore woman, but she's in good hands. She's a little banged up, but it's nothing that can't be handled with a little R 'n R. If you'll follow me, she should be all settled into her room for the night." He held the door open and followed them into the room.

The nurse pressed lightly on the strap of the shoulder immobilizer and stepped back to admire her work. It was a hard task, but she'd managed. She picked up the ice pack and gently pushed it beneath the space she'd left under the bandage.

"Looks good. Thank you, Mary." Dr. Moriarty smiled as the nurse left.

"Hey. Didn't know you were here, Elliot." Olivia glanced up from the bed. Having the doctor in the room made for an awkward moment.

"Casey called me. We were just getting the rundown on everything." Elliot rocked back on his heels, unsure of what else to say. He glanced from the doctor to his friends, uncomfortably.

"I'll just leave you three to catch up. If you need anything, Olivia, just push the call button on the bedrail." He excused himself and walked out of the room.

"You guys don't have to stay here." Olivia noted Casey's half-drooping eyelids and frowned. Behind the tired expression was a sign she'd seen before; guilt.

"I can stay. Had the night free, you know." Casey grinned and took a seat by the window. She glanced over her shoulder at the city below.

"So, I'm on a desk for a few weeks. There's no moving this thing if I wanted to." Olivia chuckled at the bandage that covered her shoulder and the immobilizer that kept it in place.

"No kidding. At least it isn't your right side. Cragen will still let you do paperwork." Elliot cleared his throat, nervously as he saw Casey turn to him. Clearly, she was still beating herself up.

"How long are you stuck here?" Casey spoke up for the first time since she'd arrived.

"Not long. Just until tomorrow afternoon, I think. At least I have the weekend to get some sort of system figured out. I don't even want to think about how I'm going to shower." Olivia winced when she shifted positions on the bed. The movement jarred her tender ribs.

"Do you want me to lay the bed back for you?" Elliot stood up and rested his hand on the rail.

"Maybe a little. The brace is rubbing against my ribs and it's killing me. I can't get comfortable." Olivia closed her eyes as the bed lowered slowly. The motion made her stomach churn.

"Better?" Seeing her nod, he stepped back. There wasn't much else he could do. Even once she got out, he knew it would be awkward to try and help her with her daily routine. In a way, it was a good thing that she needed another woman to help her. It would give Casey a chance to feel needed.

"Think that's fine. Thanks, El." She opened her eyes and tapped her right hand on the bed. She was already growing restless. Her left arm was strapped to her side, leaving her only one free hand. Fortunately, the controls for the television and bed were on the right side of the bed.

"I'll grab you some magazines from the store downstairs. Do you want something to drink?" Casey stared pouring and held her hand out for Olivia to take the cup.

"Thanks. My mouth is kind of fuzzy. Like cotton." She smacked her lips and took a drink before setting the cup back on the tray.

"Well, if you're good here, I think I'm going to head. I'm going to have my work cut out for me tomorrow, partner." Elliot sensed that the two women needed to talk, and opted for a quick exit.

"Yeah, well I'm sick of doing your grunt work. Get some sleep, El, you look like hell." She laughed as he rolled his eyes and promised to check up the following day.

"Whatever you need, just let me know." Casey slipped off her shoes and pulled her feet up onto the chair. She hugged her knees and stared across the small space between the bed and her chair.

"You don't have to stay, Casey. I'll be fine here by my…" She was stopped when Casey held a hand up.

"I'm staying. Don't argue with me because you know I'll win. That goes for the nurses, too. I'd like to see them try and kick me out after visiting hours." Casey flexed her toes and shivered as a chill went through her.

"Thanks. You aren't just doing that because you feel guilty, are you? It wasn't your fault, Case. No one's but the guy who did this." She made a sweeping motion with her arm.

"Maybe. I still can't believe you did that. You shouldn't have done it, Olivia." Every time she let her mind wander, she saw his face and the sickening look in his eyes as he reveled in bringing pain to her friend.

"It was instinct. You screamed for help. You got him to leave. There was no way I could have gotten him off me. He was too strong." Olivia rubbed her eyes with her right hand and yawned.

"I couldn't just stand there and let him do that to you." Casey didn't explain what they both had been worrying about when they were pulled into that alley.

"And I couldn't let him do it to you, either. It wasn't your fault, but if you need me to forgive you, then I will. We're even. Okay?" Olivia held her hand out, palm facing up. She curled her fingers.

All Casey could do was nod. She shifted her feet to scoot the chair closer to the bed and reached her hand out to take a hold of Olivia's. She felt a sense of relief wash over her. Olivia was okay.

"Want me to get you a pillow and a blanket?" Olivia jerked her head toward the call button on the bed.

"Nah. I can get it. I might get up and stretch my legs for a bit before I settle in for the night. Do you want anything while I'm up?" Casey squeezed the hand that rested in hers and let it go before standing up. She raised her arms over her head and clasped her fingers as she stretched.

"Maybe later. My stomach's a little funny right now. Might sleep it off." She felt her eyes getting heavy and blinked, shaking her head.

"Go to sleep, Liv. I'm a big girl. I'll be fine by myself." Casey slipped her shoes back on and smoothed her rumpled clothing.

"'Kay." Olivia drifted off to sleep, leaving Casey alone with her thoughts. She barely heard the door slip shut.

Hours later, Olivia woke to a shooting pain. Her eyes shot open and she grabbed the bed rail for support. She let out a series of short breaths, willing the pain to recede. She fumbled for the call button but got the television instead. Cursing, she struggled for the controls.

"Here. I got it. Just relax." Casey pressed the button to the television, abruptly turning off the infomercial. She pushed the call button and stood back so the nurse could get through.

"Damn. Woke me up. I was sleeping good, too." Olivia clamped her eyes shut as the pain in her side increased.

"Morning. Well, early morning, I should say. I came in to check on you a few hours ago but you were out like a light. Looks like you could use another dose." The nurse uncapped the syringe and stuck the needle into the IV port. Slowly, she pressed the plunger and stepped to the window so she could see to write. The sun was just rising, creating a soft glow in the room. She quickly set her things down on the tray when she heard Olivia began to retch.

Olivia struggled to lean over the side of the bed. She saw a hand come into her line of view the moment she started to get sick. She whimpered as her ribs and shoulder protested the forward movement of her body. She felt the bed being raised and started to retch again as her stomach did a somersault.

"I know it hurts, Olivia. Breathe slowly through your nose. Nice and slow." Mary patted Olivia on the beck and supported her as she tried to get her breathing under control. She reached behind the bed and unhooked the nasal canula. She slipped it over Olivia's head and twisted the knob to start the flow of oxygen. Gently, she tucked the tube around over Olivia's ears to hold it in place.

"Can she have anything for the nausea?" Casey studied her friend with concern. If there was anything she could do to help, she'd find whatever that was.

"I'll call the doctor and I'll be right back. Keep breathing, Olivia." Seeing Olivia was done, she took the emesis bowl to the bathroom and deposited the contents into the toilet. She set the bowl in the sink and flushed the toilet before walking back into the room. She deposited her gloves in the trashcan and smiled at Casey, who looked visibly shaken.

"Close your eyes and let the medicine work. You'll be feeling better in no time." Casey stood by the bed wishing she could just give Olivia the medicine herself.

"I…I yelled at you. Back in the alley. I'm sorry." Olivia opened her eyes and saw Casey's confusion.

"You did? When?" Casey examined a hang nail on her finger and picked at it with her thumb.

"You tried to…to help me but I told you to stop. I…I just was in so much pain. I didn't mean to yell. I'm sorry, Casey." Olivia watched Casey's confusion grow.

"Oh, I understand. I didn't think anything of it. Don't worry about it." Casey couldn't believe that through the blinding pain Olivia had been in, she was concerned with Casey being upset that she'd been yelled at.

"Just wanted to say that. Thanks for uh…you know. That's so embarrassing." Olivia took several deep breaths, willing the contents that were left in her stomach to stay put.

"Yeah, well, I've got a lot of practice. A friend of mine just had a baby. I'm a pro at the whole catching spit-up thing." Casey chuckled, seeing Olivia smile weakly.

"That's hardly comparable, but… thank you." Olivia wiped her eyes and shook her head. She was grateful Casey had stayed. Their friendship had grown over the past few months. While they'd never been extremely close, lately they'd been spending more time together. It was just what they needed after dealing with the stresses of their respective jobs.

"I'm going to go see what's taking her." Casey grew more impatient as the seconds ticked by. After glancing at her watch for the fifth time and deciding sufficient time had passed, she walked out of the room in a huff. God help whoever got in her way.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I know I owed you all another part of this like months ago lol. Life got crazy. I'm finishing up some classes before I graduate in December. Not to mention I'm moving to Jersey and I'm trying to find a job and a place to live. No pressure, right? This place has been my outlet. So, thanks for the great stories and thanks for reading mine. You know how they say you are your biggest critic? It's true and it's nice to know that all the time spent editing one little line doesn't go to waste. At least, I hope it doesn't:) Peace.

Olivia was dozing when Elliot entered her room. He caught the door behind him as it shut. He eyed her as he took his place by the window. Carefully, he laid the bag on the ledge behind him. He cringed when the rustling of the bag woke her up.

"Elliot?" Olivia turned around toward the source of the sound.

"Yeah. Where's Casey?" Elliot nodded toward the empty chair on the other side of the bed. The blanket lying on the seat was the only sign that it had previously been occupied.

"Not sure. She left a note." Olivia shifted her gaze to the folded piece of paper where it rested on the tray. She didn't have the energy to try and read it in her current state. Her head was throbbing and any movement sent waves of pain from her shoulder to her ribs.

"Let's see here…uh, looks like she went home to change. Says she'll be back in…another hour. I must have just missed her." Elliot folded the paper and tossed it onto the ledge.

"She blames herself." She ran a hand through her hair and rubbed the back of her neck. The position she'd slept in was making itself known.

"Want to talk about it?" Elliot resisted the urge to turn into cop mode. She didn't need an interrogation.

"Maybe later, when I can think straight?" She closed her eyes against the onslaught of the rising sun.

"Want me to get the nurse?" He stood and sat on the edge of the ledge, ready to ask the moment she needed him to.

"She just left. It's like they have this sixth sense that I'm finally falling back to sleep." She let out a breath, willing her headache to go away. At least it was one thing that could be cured with a little rest.

"The nerve. I hated every one of my hospital stays." He made a mental note to tell them to let her be.

"You're not going in?" She watched him shift positions so that he was blocking the light from coming into the room.

"In a bit. I wanted to stop by first. See if you needed anything." He studied his hands. The fingers of his right hand were red from carrying the bag from the parking garage to her room.

"Thanks. I think I'll be good once I'm home, though. I see you brought something with you." She grinned as he pulled the bag around to rest on his lap.

"Maureen told me about these. They're books that you can listen to on CD. I thought it'd be easier than trying to read with one arm. I didn't know if you had a stereo, so I borrowed the discman Kathleen brought over last weekend." He could see her smile widen.

"Tell her thanks. I'll return it in one piece." Olivia noticed how awkward it was for him to bring it up. He wasn't the type that sought gratitude or thanks.

"She won't miss it. She's got an Ipod now. She said it's her new best friend, whatever that means." He shrugged his shoulders. He still had yet to understand his daughters.

"Who can compete with that? Tell me something else. Maybe it'll take my mind off how much I could really use some drugs." She shifted positions several times and sighed.

"Maureen aced her Western Civilization test. Said the discussion part of the class is lame, though. The twins have been bugging Kathy to go to camp again this summer. Oh, and Kathleen has a boyfriend she's been seeing for three months. Nice of her to let her father know." He noticed how hard she was trying to concentrate and moved to the other side of the room.

"Thanks. Yeah, girls can keep secrets. I must have kept a dozen boyfriends from my mother. Never had a clue. If she did, she never said." Olivia cursed the direction of the conversation. It was too early.

"Sneaky. Maybe on one of your days off you can make a list of all the tactics." He steered clear of the topic of her mother, opting for a much lighter one.

"You know me. I'll have gone through those CD's by midweek. I'll be looking for things to do. Maybe I'll stop in for some paperwork to take home with me." She held her side, laughing at his glare.

"You come in and you're risking your life." He saw her freeze and cursed his choice of words.

"She said I shouldn't have. Taken her place, that is. It was instinct, though, Elliot. I just reacted. How the hell did I miss it? I never saw him coming." She shook her head in disbelief. She recalled how the hairs on the back of her neck stood up and how she'd almost commented on something not feeling right.

"You weren't expecting it. Who would?" He knew nothing he could say would ease her mind. She was always the hardest on herself.

"I would. I'm a cop. Part of me is pissed as hell for not getting out of it. I could have done something. Once he was there, that was it. I hated not being in control." Her mind raced as she recalled what had happened. She'd always wondered what she'd do. She had her answer, and she didn't like it.

"It happened before you could react. He overpowered you. This thing, it's going to drive you crazy. It's going to eat at you. You either let it control your life or you move on. You gotta' move on, Liv. You're angry that you had no control. You had control. You could have fought like hell but you knew how it could have ended. You saved both of your asses out there. You did good." He hated how much she doubted her abilities.

"She saved me." She started playing with a loose string on the blanket. She stilled her hand and looked up at him.

"She said the same thing about you." He cocked his head to the side and let his eyes fall on her hand, and how it moved up to the cut on her neck.

"Yeah." She let the silence linger longer than she should have. It gave her emotions too much time to come to the surface, and she blinked away the tears that began to cloud her vision.

"What did he say to you, Liv?" He remembered the conversation with Casey in the waiting room.

"Nothing." She spoke softly, her voice barely rose above a mere whisper.

"You sure? I know I'm not Casey, but if you need to tell me something…" He let his voice trail off. He'd never been one for bonding sessions, but it didn't mean he didn't care.

"I…it doesn't matter." She shook her head, willing his sick voice to escape so she could stop hearing it once and for all.

"Looks like it matters, to me." He locked eyes with her and held her gaze. It broke his heart when she turned away.

"He asked if I got the message. He…he called me a...a dyke." She sighed, unable to look him in the eye. She'd mumbled the last part, hoping he wouldn't ask her to repeat it.

"The message. Do you know where you were last night, Liv?" He had a sickening feeling settle in the pit of his stomach when he thought of her being victimized. His friend. His partner. Olivia.

"I saw the sign when we were walking by. I guess he thought we were with each other or something. I don't know. It makes sense, now that I think about it. He wasn't very happy with the idea. I just keep hearing his voice. It's like those old tapes where, when they mess up, it skips and plays the same part of the song. I try to get it out of my head, but I can't. And to think he was getting off on it…" She felt the bile rising and swallowed the urge to vomit yet again.

"What time did Casey call it in? Do you remember?" He doubted she remembered a lot. The amount of pain she was in had probably been foremost in her mind.

"She called it in after he left. Paramedics showed up a while later. Why?" She frowned, trying to piece together what he was getting at. His line of questioning confused her, and added to the pounding behind her eyes.

"Just curious." His palms started to get sweaty under her intense gaze. He cleared his throat, hoping that she'd let it go for the time being. He didn't want to have to tell her just yet. Didn't want to admit that one of their own had turned their back on a fellow officer.

"'Kay. You wouldn't by any chance have some Tylenol, would you? I don't want to pay ten bucks for something I can get for a few dollars." She'd been partnered with him long enough to know when he was keeping something from her. She wasn't in the mood to ask, though, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was even about.

"Yeah. Grabbed one of those little packets at the gas station. Figured you may want some. You see, this stubborn partner of mine waits 'til the last minute to take anything. She also hates asking the damn nurses." He smiled and scooted in his chair so he could get the packet out of his pocket without getting up.

"You seem to know her pretty well. Must be some partner." She waited while he ripped open the paper holding the pills.

"Must be. Check it out. Even comes with a little cup." He held the object up like he was on The Price is Right.

"Which, of course, is included in the price. You're a Godsend. Thank you." She grabbed the cup of water sitting on the tray and downed the pills. She let the tepid water coat the lining of her throat. She took a few more sips before returning the cup to its original place. She hoped he understood what she meant. He'd been there for her throughout the years in more ways than one.

"Sure." He glanced down at his watch and tried to make out the time. He hated to leave.

"I'm a big girl, El. I'm going to take a nap before they come in again." She yawned, as if proving that she had yet to get enough rest.

"I'll see what I can do about that. Call me when you get home." He stood abruptly and stretched.

"I will. Say hi to the guys." She watched him hesitate before nearing the bed. She leaned in, meeting him part of the way when he bent down to give her a hug. The embrace was awkward, with her sore ribs and shoulder, but it did the job.

"Get some sleep, Liv." He held the hug a little longer than he normally would have. If he'd learned anything over the years, it was that life was short. Too short to go without showing the people he cared about just how much he did. He'd taken to calling his girls every other Sunday after they'd gone to church, and his son on Friday nights before the gym. Even though she wasn't his family through blood, he'd always held a place in his heart for Olivia. So, although they rarely hugged or showed such affection, he didn't feel weird about doing it right then.

"We'll see. Watch me lie awake for hours. You know how I get when I'm up." She slapped him lightly in the shoulder with the back of her hand and waved as he walked to the door. She missed him already. As the door slipped shut, she sighed. She glanced around the room before closing her eyes. She smiled as she pictured him marching to the nurses' station and threatening everyone on and off duty to leave her alone. It was the protective side she loved to hate. She'd never let on, but she was glad he was that way, because at the end of the day, she knew it was because he cared for her. And she couldn't remember the last time she felt that anyone did.


End file.
